The Warlocks are coming to town tomorrow, so I took a listen to one of their discs to decide if the show was worth seeing. This is an unfair trial -- I'm far more partial to wreaking havoc at home than going out to gigs these days -- but nevertheless, I spun the wheel of steel and was mildly impressed. The record proudly displays the octet's love of Velvet-y motorik trance. There are also sharp pinches of jam-band indulgence, which is fine for those who like that sort of thing. But I found their overall sound to be fundamentally at fault. I just couldn't stop thinking that there *has* to be a better way to use four guitars. Grooving along in quadruple-chiming Strokes-style with optional feedback doesn't produce the necessary volume. Nonetheless, this stuff must rock live like a bitch, not to mention the physical spectacle of eight people on stage churning out this stuff.
A completely different use of density comes courtesy of the Delgados, who are surely one of the most underrated bands in the world. If the Doves "Last Broadcast" could shift units, then there's hope for "Hate", the Delgados newest effort. The album springs to life with sweet tunes humming and blazing with ambitious overproduction. Your ears ring and then a flute or a string section plays a lulling melody beneath the din. One might read the previous two lines and believe I was writing about a Super Furries record, but somehow, the Delgados tread a completely different path by eliminating the bonkers preteen jumping on the bed feeling.
Not to pick on the Hives or the Strokes or any of the other "sweet, becoming sour" flavours of the year, but it's really hard for me to fathom why anyone would listen to one of those bands instead of the Delgados, who have massive and singable choruses, play at appreciable volume, and can pull off the difficult trick of being wildly creative without being the least bit indulgent. And if you really want to listen to dumb three chord songs, there's plenty of that being peddled by the Green Day wannabes. Or Avril Lavigne, who brings the added bonus of being really fun to look at.
As always, the key to success in life is to evolve or die. The Vines have dragged Phil Spector out of mothballs to produce their next album. Don't hold your breath waiting for three stripped-down chords. Pray tell, it will sound a lot more like the Delgados than the Ramones.
